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Community Essential to Help Neighbors

This tenet holds that nothing should be done by a larger and more complex organization, which can be done as well by a smaller and simpler organization. In other words, any activity which can be performed by a more decentralized entity should be. This principle is a bulwark of limited government and personal freedom. It conflicts with the passion for centralization and bureaucracy characteristic of the Welfare State.
—David A. Bosnich, Acton Institute

Community Essential to Help Neighbors

Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) has proposed combining many of our Federal welfare programs and allowing States to administer these programs on a local level. Importantly, Ryan encourages private companies, non-government organizations and local governments to be actively involved in administrating these programs. Ryan’s “Opportunity Grant” gives communities the opportunity to holistically assist our unfortunate neighbors, and he is proposing an enormous policy shift from Federal control to the State overseeing them...and potentially local control.

The Klamath Falls, Oregon example:

After observing an increase in anti-social behavior happening in many of our public places – schools, grocery stores, churches, parks restaurants and more - a voluntary group of twelve people from different occupations, faiths and interests began meeting to understand the causes of why so many people were in need of help. We held numerous meetings with public and private officials of government, schools, churches and charities. We became aware of the serious societal problems of Klamath County – teenage births, children living in single parent households, absent fathers, alcohol and drug abuse, inadequate job skills, poor work ethic, and more. Tragically, single parenting was the biggest issue we found in Klamath County and is also destroying America’s children on a national scale. In fact, one-third of American children are not living in a two-parent home.

Our Federal government is sending welfare checks, food stamp cards and the other government benefits to ease financial scarcity for these families. Unfortunately, our Federal government and thousands of bureaucrats lack knowledge, discernment and compassion for the individuals and the families. Giving money without discernment and compassion harmfully allows people to merely survive and not prosper. It fosters a slothful existence of alcohol and drug abuse as well as sporadic employment. Tragically, this has contributed to the decline of a nuclear family, which also brings devastating repercussions to children living in these circumstances.

Community: Comprehensive Citizen Involvement Is Essential

Communities care. Members of the community know their neighbors. Family, churches, neighbors, charities and local government have more flexibility and diverse resources to discern the needs and methods of caring for people in their area. Community-focused programs respect and appreciate a person's unique personality, interests, talents and needs. Some people need loving care while others may need a kick in the pants. In time, involved citizens will begin to reverse the destruction caused by the Federal government and comprehensive community involvement will begin to restore and repair families and neglected children.

To help people to excel, all churches, all foundations, all educational institutions, all medical facilities, all merchants, all restaurants, all trades, all financial institutions and all citizens must be aware and involved. By helping our neighbors, we will make our communities vibrant and livable.

This Is Subsidiarity.

"This tenet holds that nothing should be done by a larger and more complex organization, which can be done as well by a smaller and simpler organization. In 1991, Pope John II foresaw the human wreckage resulting from the welfare state. The Pontiff wrote that the “social assistance state” contradicted the principle of subsidiarity by intervening directly and depriving society of its responsibility. This “leads to a loss of human energies and an inordinate increase of public agencies which are dominated more by bureaucratic ways of thinking than by concern for serving their clients and which are accompanied by an enormous increase in spending.”

Or as Rep. Ryan said, "Listen to local leaders who are changing the status quo."

There was panic at supermarkets over the weekend. Low-income Americans in 17 states were turned away from cash registers due to a computer outage affecting their electronic food-stamp cards.Outrage erupted in store aisles and even on Twitter.

Personal Freedom and Prosperity 109: SubsidiarityThis tenet holds that nothing should be done by a larger and more complex organization, which can be done as well by a smaller and simpler organization. In other words, any activity which can be performed by a more decentralized entity should be. This principle is a bulwark of limited government and personal freedom.

In 1930, the unemployment rate among African Americans was lower than it was for whites. That's right, at the height of the Great Depression, blacks were more likely to be employed than whites. 1930 was also the last year that we saw that happen.

This past week more than two dozen Democratic members of congress decided to compete in the SNAP Challenge and in their words "call attention to the necessity of the program" while also showing how difficult it is to eat on the average of $31.50 per person, per week allocated under the SNAP program.

Every few hours, new facts emerge about the Boston Marathon bombers. While much has been made of their family, studies and religion, on Tuesday night we learned that American taxpayers helped finance them.Marathon bombings mastermind Tamerlan Tsarnaev was living on taxpayer-funded state welfare benefits even as he was delving deep into the world of radical anti-American Islamism...

Throughout American history, there have always been those that have fallen on hard times. From British poor laws, brought over by the colonists, to today’s myriad of welfare programs, America has a strong foundation of seeking to help those in need. However, what started as a very simple program has become convoluted, corrupted and ultimately fails to lift people from poverty to prosperity. While examples of government assistance failures abound, none may be so evident as that of the current situation in New Mexico.

Whenever conservatives talk about lowering taxes, reducing entitlements, or rolling back our titanic government, the intellectual giants of the left deploy an incisive counter-argument: you're mean!But of course. Why, just a fortnight ago, I was strolling to the opera when a lowly chimney sweep spilled soot upon my spats. After making him polish my monocle, I thrashed the young ne’er-do-well roundly with my ivory-handled walking stick. Off to the poorhouse with you!

So, you didn't win last week's Powerball? I didn't either, which is why I'm writing blog posts instead of designing a helipad for my new private island.
I was surprised to see even my most cynical friends succumbing to lottery fever in a bad way. Though usually shrewd with their finances, they couldn't resist throwing a few bucks at a gas station attendant for that infinitesimal shot at half a billion dollars.